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Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode, 1859-1936
BANC MSS P-G 244  
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  • Collection Summary
  • Information for Researchers
  • Administrative Information
  • Scope and Content

  • Collection Summary

    Collection Title: Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode
    Date (inclusive): 1859-1936
    Collection Number: BANC MSS P-G 244
    Creator: Smith, Grant H. (Grant Horace)
    Extent: 4 cartons, 1 box 5.4 linear feet
    Repository: The Bancroft Library.
    University of California, Berkeley
    Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
    Phone: (510) 642-6481
    Fax: (510) 642-7589
    Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
    URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
    Abstract: Material gathered in preparation for books on Mark Twain, John W. Mackay and the Comstock Lode. A collection of Shakespeareana and a few miscellaneous essays are also included.
    Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
    Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

    Information for Researchers

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode, BANC MSS P-G 244, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

    Alternative Form of Materials Available

    There are no alternate forms of this collection.

    Material Cataloged Separately

    • Miscellaneous Comstock photographs and maps, etc., have been removed and cataloged as: Pictures 6246-6347, and Portraits 1236-1278.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
    Mackay, John William, 1831-1902.
    Comstock Lode (Nev.)

    Administrative Information

    The Manuscripts and notes chiefly concerning the Comstock Lode were given to The Bancroft Library by Mrs. G.H. Smith in Oct. 1945.
    No additions are expected.

    Processing Information

    Processed at the container level in 2013.

    Scope and Content Note

    The following data is given on this collection by the son of the donor, Grant H. Smith Jr., after he had spent some days in trying to establish some semblance of order among these valuable and interesting papers:
    The material on the Comstock Lode and vicinity represents many hours of research and study on a subject which was dear to the heart of my father, Grant H. Smith. Much of it is written with a love and passion characteristic of a nearly gone but not forgotten breed of men known as "Mining Camp Men." They were refined and tempered in the mining camps of the West -Virginia City, Butte, Downieville, Jackson, Sutter Creek, Chinese Camp, Dawson, The Klondike, Tonapah, Goldfield and many other roaring booming mining camps.
    Many of these men, though they often spoke their minds on various subjects, never put their thoughts on paper for posterity to enjoy. Many of the younger generation have tried with questionable success to capture the flavor and spirit of these adventurous days. While my Dad did not possess a glamourous style, his inquiring and thorough mind compiled a world of important information on the Comstock Lode and other related subjects.
    The original manuscripts have been torn apart and reshuffled as his ambitious program: a story of John W. Mackay, a history of the Comstock, and the real story about Mark Twain in Nevada, was never realized. It had to be condensed and shortened into a bulletin issued by the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 1943, under the title of A History of the Comstock Lode. Therefore there is little or no continuity in the large Mackay-Comstock manuscripts and much of the material is out of place. The real value will appear in the notes, clippings and letters included in the separate binders and in the short, complete articles, short manuscripts, and data on production and methods of the mines.
    The Shakespearean collection speaks for itself.

    Scope and Content

    The following data is given on this collection by the son of the donor, Grant H. Smith Jr., after he had spent some days in trying to establish some semblance of order among these valuable and interesting papers. It is hoped that it will make future study and research easier. Material included:
      Carton 1.
      Basic data on the Comstock, 1859-1936. Miscellaneous Comstock articles. Part of the original manuscript on the Comstock.
      Carton 2.
      Material on John W. Mackay and the Comstock Story. Includes data on the discovery, development and production of the various mines and ore bodies.
      Carton 2A.
      MS of "John W. Mackay, Bonanza King"
      Carton 3.
      Mark Twain material -final manuscripts together with original notes, and drafts.
      Carton 4.
      Miscellaneous Comstock notes (three letter files)
      Carton 5.
      Miscellaneous notebook, original drafts, typewritten sheets, including duplicates, rewritten chapters and rejects. (Of little value.)
      Carton 6.
      Shakespearean collection.
    The material on the Comstock Lode and vicinity represents many hours of research and study on a subject which was dear to the heart of my father, Grant H. Smith. Much of it is written with a love and passion characteristic of a nearly gone but not forgotten breed of men known as "Mining Camp Men." They were refined and tempered in the mining camps of the West -Virginia City, Butte, Downieville, Jackson, Sutter Creek, Chinese Camp, Dawson, The Klondike, Tonapah, Goldfield and many other roaring booming mining camps.
    Many of these men, though they often spoke their minds on various subjects, never put their thoughts on paper for posterity to enjoy. Many of the younger generation have tried with questionable success to capture the flavor and spirit of these adventurous days. While my Dad did not possess a glamourous style, his inquiring and thorough mind compiled a world of important information on the Comstock Lode and other related subjects.
    The original manuscripts have been torn apart and reshuffled as his ambitious program: a story of John W. Mackay, a history of the Comstock, and the real story about Mark Twain in Nevada, was never realized. It had to be condensed and shortened into a bulletin issued by the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 1943, under the title of A History of the Comstock Lode. Therefore there is little or no continuity in the large Mackay-Comstock manuscripts and much of the material is out of place. The real value will appear in the notes, clippings and letters included in the separate binders and in the short, complete articles, short manuscripts, and data on production and methods of the mines.
    The Shakespearean collection speaks for itself.